Lords Dragon
“Nothing and no one escapes the judgment of the Lords Dragon. The Universal Laws are absolute, therefore so are we absolute.” –Magos-Draco Corsiva When it comes to the judgment and enforcement of the Universal Laws across the Adeptus Mechanicus, there are many names that conjure dread. Within the Calixis Sector, one of the most secret and most influential of these names is the Lords Dragon. On Lathe-Hadd, menials whisper that the Lords Dragon are also known as the Collegiate Extremis. On Sheol 17, the prisoners who still retain their sanity refer to them as the Scaled Ones, the Correctors of the Balance. In the frozen corridors of Altar-Templum-Calixis-Est-17, they are dismissed only as myth. In truth, the Lords Dragon exist in the Lathe System; they sit in judgment from the orbiting Panopticon Station, ever vigilant to uphold the sanctity of the Universal Laws. Tasked with policing the Calixian Mechanicus and sworn to preserve the Tech-Priesthood from corruption and tech-heresy, the Lords Dragon are shadowy figures who are far more rumor than fact. What is known with certainty is that this group of Arch-Magos is entrusted with vast authority and resources to carry out their judicial task. Numerous agents exist amongst the Calixian Mechanicus who report to the Lords Dragon and serve their will, but the Lords Dragon possess more fearsome tools: the Logicutioners, the Magos Juris, and the Dragon Secutorii. 'Secret History' “The phrase 'be seeing you' has a different meaning for us, my dear Inquisitor Caidin. When we say this, it is to be taken quite... literally.” –Arch-Magos Karolinious Benz, Magos-Draco of the Lords Dragon Shrouded in mystery, and whispered about only by fools and madmen, is the legend of the Panopticon. Supposedly hidden deep within the Lathes System, this orbiting void station is rumored to be the real authority behind the Calixian Mechanicus, and the seat of power for an organization whose name is synonymous with dread: the Lords Dragon. Dispatched to the then-unconquered Calix Expanse thousands of years ago through Logis-Prophesies, secretive Tech-Priests sought out worlds to eventually bring under the Mechanicum’s control. They were to locate any sites that would be advantageous once the upcoming Angevin Crusade had finished, and to ensure that the Mechanicum claimed the most important worlds as their own, before the Adeptus Ministorum gained a foothold in the new Sector. The first agents to arrive quickly discovered a small system colonized aeons ago during Mankind’s earliest steps into the galaxy. The irregular orbits of its main worlds created violent shifts of gravity, and had resulted in the formation of three unusual asteroid belts. Only the bravest or most foolish of ship captains could ever hope to safely navigate the gravitic nightmare of the system’s asteroids, and thus the Lords Dragon, the ancient cabal of Arch-Magos tasked with policing the Mechanicum within the Sector, took the hidden center of these belts as their new home. The Panopticon Orbital was built as a habitat and headquarters for the Lords Dragon, but more importantly as a hub of observation. The Lords Dragon knew that they would need to observe the emerging Calixis Sector to ensure that tech-heresy and affronts to the Machine God never went unpunished. Using scarcely understood devices from the Dark Age of Technology, the Lords Dragon established an extensive monitoring network---the Praecursator Grid---across the Pondus system, using the space around their new home as a field test. If their system allowed observation without direct interference, then they knew that they could expand the grid to cover all the forge worlds that would eventually be built, and even some worlds outside the Mechanicus’ sphere of authority. They soon discovered that the surviving descendants of the original colonists had actually thrived in their cruel environment, and performed genetic modifications to improve their usefulness even further. Lest others such as the Ecclesiarchy claim them, the population was interred into massive Great Holds and kept in stasis in the fringes of the cometary clouds surrounding the system. When the Crusade arrived in the system many years later, it would find a group of harsh, uninhabited worlds suitable only for the Adeptus Mechanicus, and once established, the Lords Dragon could bring the population back, each one of them ready and willing to work for the glory of the Omnissiah. Such is the scope of the Lords Dragon and their guidance for the greater good of the Machine Cult. With the success of their observation technology, the Lords Dragon began to involve themselves directly in the Angevin Crusade. They went back to their usual methods of seeking out corruption from within, ensuring that the worlds the crusade conquered were purged of tech-heresy. They took steps to ensure that the Explorator fleets found their way to what would become the Lathes System, and then did what they could to engineer the ceding of the worlds to the Mechanicum. As each new forge world was lit, the Lords Dragon monitored. Within each new voidship hull laid or Skitarii regiment raised, their surveillance kept close watch for any signs of deviant thought or deed. Hardly a moment went by when the Lords Dragon were unable to view exactly what the Mechanicus was doing within the gestating Calixis Sector, or, at least, that is what they would wish all who dwell in the Lathe Worlds to believe. 'Other Interests' The Lords Dragon have always made the Inquisition wary. From the Inquisition’s perspective, only it has the proper remit and power to safeguard humanity against the terrors within, without, and beyond, and it does not relish the idea of others, operating outside of its purview, attempting to do the same. The Tricorn Palace has spent many fruitless years petitioning the Lathes for access to the Panopticon Orbital, but every request has been denied. To make matters worse, the Inquisition is seemingly unable to even prove its existence, though many suppose this is unlikely given the nature of the Holy Ordos. More disturbing are the continued reports that the Praecursator Grid extends beyond the borders of the Cult Mechanicus, and that the Lords Dragon have the ability to spy upon many important Ecclesiarchical holdings, the domain of Sector Lord Hax, and the Tricorn Palace itself. Some even believe that all the cybernetics manufactured within the Calixis Sector are part of this Grid, and that everyone who has ever received a bionic is actually an unwitting spy in service to the Lords Dragon. If such a revelation were found to be true then the outrage, especially from groups such as the Cult of the Pure Form, would be immense, and the Calixis Sector could find itself in a civil war the likes of which it has never seen. The Inquisition has mounted numerous operations to infiltrate the Lords Dragon but has not met with any reported success, their agents either returning empty-handed, or simply not returning at all. Yet for all their clandestine work and surprisingly adroit political maneuvering, the Lords Dragon are surprisingly willing to work alongside the Inquisition when the situation demands (and often when it does not). Unlike most within the Calixian Mechanicus, the Lords Dragon are not especially secretive when it comes to cooperation with other organizations, as long as they can stay behind the scenes. This has given the Lords Dragon a fearful reputation amongst the Lathe populations, and they seem to intentionally foster this dread. They actively encourage the servants of the Mechanicus to believe the stories---that they are always watching, that they can operate in plain sight without anyone knowing, and that the fabled Dragon Secutorii are waiting for the moment when they will swoop down and destroy everyone who has ever cursed at a machine. This could be a ruse to disguise possible gaps in their observational systems or limitations of their power, creating the impression that the Lords Dragon are more effective than they actually are. Some even whisper that the dreaded Praecursator Grid does not exist at all, and only the threat that it exists acts to keep the Lathe Worlds properly respectful of the Omnissiah. Few are willing to determine if these rumors might be correct, and only those dwelling within the Panopticon Orbital know the real truth. 'The False Fabricator' In 624.M41, the Lords Dragon formally accused the Forge Master of Ryboth, Fabricator Garamond, of tech-heresy. Garamond’s crime, according to his accusers, was that he had tampered with a number of servitors and cogitators, edging over the line towards Abominable Intelligence and into the tech-heresy of the Silica Animus. Garamond’s defense was spirited, and the evidence against him was weak. After four months of debate and an appeal to the High Fabricator, the issue was still in doubt. At the end, the judgment of the Lords Dragon would not be denied. Garamond was stripped of his position, but his influence, the length of his service, the sheer amount of knowledge and technology he had provided to the Calixian Mechanicus, and his eloquent defense had swayed his fate away from the Logicutioners. Instead, Garamond was to be exiled, sent away to the far Sargos Sector, there to toil with the common tech-adepts for his remaining length of function. 'Becoming an Agent of the Lords Dragon' Like the Inquisition, the Lords Dragon are quite cautious when it comes to whom they pick as their representatives. Each carefully selected Agent must be trustworthy and incorruptible, and they must take the secrets of the Lords Dragon to their graves. To join the Lords Dragon is to gain knowledge of one of the greatest secrets in the Calixis Sector, the Praecursator Grid, and although most Agents never see the Panopticon Orbital, all are aware of its unique ability to use this Grid to observe and gather data from every forge world across the Calixis Sector. Agents of the Lord Dragon are loaned to Inquisitors on a surprisingly regular basis, although many within the Inquisition see this apparent high level of assistance as just another example of the Lords Dragon’s desire to infiltrate all aspects of the Sector. Upon becoming an Agent of the Lords Dragon, the character gains the Rigor Mentis Trait. Required Career: Adept, Arbitrator, Assassin, Tech-Priest Alternate Rank: Rank 4 or higher (2,000 XP) Monthly Income: The Acolyte changes to Mechanicus Class for income. Other Requirements: Cannot have Peer (Ecclesiarchy) or Good Reputation (Ecclesiarchy).